MRI for back pain

I have been having moderate back pain. Do I need an MRI?

The diagnosis of back pain is not difficult but not everyone needs expensive radiological tests. If the physical exam is normal, then in most cases no testing is needed. However, if there is back pain on standing, shooting pains down the leg, or if you have urinary retention, then the doctor may order a study. Plain x-rays are garbage and rarely contribute to treatment. Physicians who order plain x-rays are clueless and just increase the cost of health care.

MRI and bone scans are used to determine the cause of back pain. If there is suspicion that a nerve is pinched, then nerve-conducting studies may be ordered to determine the response of muscles. The ideal study is an MRI but less than 2% of patients need it – the test is also very expensive. If your doctor orders plain x-rays for back pain, then he/she can't be very bright and you can rest assured you will be referred to other more crappy colleagues who will just scam you with more bogus tests.